Flexible conduit



Patented Mar'. 1o, 1925A.

UNITED srATl-:s

PATENT carica;

MARTIN CBERSTED, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

` v FLEXIBLE eoNpUI'r.

Original application ledgNovember 27,1920, Serial No. 426,722;Dvidedland this vapplication led September 3', 41921.

.To all whom t mj] concern.'

Be it known that I, hIARTI'N BERs'rED, a citizen of the`United.-States,'residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State 5 of Illinois,have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Conduits,i of which the following is a specification.

` This application relates to improvements in flexible conduitsprimarily intended for 10 use in connection with grease gunsand is a Adivlsion of my application Serial No. 426,-.

722, filed November 27, 1920.'

An object of this invention isoto provide a exible conduit for useinplace` of the fiexible tubing customarily attached to grease guns'whichwill perform all the functions of. such tubing and possess manyadvantages thereover.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a conduitcomposed of'a lurality of sections universally connected 'y Ijointspermitting wide, angular adjustment whereby the conduit may; be given aparticular formation necessary to convenposition while the grease gun isbeing operated. Another object is to provide joints which while allowingall thenece'ssary movement will remain tight in use under the pressurecustomarily applied in forcing grease into bearings.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a selected embodiment of theinvention- Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the flexible conduit;

Figs. 2, 3, 4 ando are sectional views on the lines 2 2, 3--3', 4-4 and5 5 respectively of Fig. l.`

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the 40 Fi ,-7 isan elevation on areduced scale showing a lubricator comprising a grease gun containingthe lubricant and a discharge conduit extending therefrom consisting ofthe jointed tube sections illustrated' in the other figures. j

The flexible conduit is made up of a plurality of tubular sections 46connected by ball and socket joints each .comprising a socket or shellf47 secured lin the end of one section, v'and a hollow' ball 48 securedin theend of the other section, the socketand bali being madecomplementary to each other that the ball will fit snugly in the socketyet be capable ot freely iently reach atting and rigidly held in thatLball and socket of one ofA the joints separated.'

`Serial No. 498,591.

moving therein. The socket or shell has a' threaded stem 47 and theballv 48 has a 'threaded stem 4 8 to screw into the ends of.

the tube sectionst but' these stems maybe pressed' or otherwise' securedin the tube section if desired. The ball iS provided with an opening 48"of'sufiicient size to form a communication with theI opening-4 in the'stem 47 of the socket 47 in any adjustment ofthe ball relative to thesocket.v The socket or shell is provided with prongs 49 and intermediaterecesses 50 (Fig. 6) and after the ball has been inserted in the socketthese prongs are pressed down as shown to secure thev ball in thesocket. The recesses 50 are adapted to receive the stem 48 of the ball.

and when the stem is seated in any recess y the adjacent prongs willrigidly interlock the ba tube sections carrying said ball and socket.

l and socket and lconsequently the The vnumber of recesses will besuicient to permit any required adjustment of the tube sections relativeto each other and the capacity of the tube :for various adjustments isindicated in Fig. 1.-

One end ofthe conduit is provided with a ball and socket similar to thatjust described, the Vstem 47 of the socket being adapted for connectionwith the cap of a pump, preferably of the for-m shown in my co endingapplication Ser. No. 498,590, filed geptembr 3, 1921.- 'The other end ofthev conduit is also providedwith a ball and socket and a collar isarranged on the threaded stem of the socket andis adapted for engagementwith a fitting of the kind set forth 1n my copending application426,722, November 27, 1920. I have shown this collar as having cams 9 toenga e studs onthe fitting shown in that application, but it is obviousthat the' flexible conduit is notlimited vto use with grease guns andfittings of this or any other type.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a complete lubricator embodying my invention inwhich the grease gun comprises a barrel 52 adapted to contain thelubricant, a plunger 53 carried inthe barrel by a screw stem 54operating through one end of the barrel, with the Hexible conduitattached to the other end of the barrel and forming a discharge conduitentendi "f therefrom to deliver the lubricant be iubricated, 'to whichthe outerion of the conduit is attached.

are that changes in the form 4proportion of' parts," and inA the detailsof construction of 'my invention vmay be made' without departingfrom`the spirit or sacri- 1, ic'ing the advantages thereof, and I reservelthe right to make all such changes asfai'rly Afallwitlin thel scopeofthe following claims:

ease gun tube eomprisin -a plument, ball and socket joints .connectingsaid sections and means for locking the-sections Aus Y grease gun tubecomprisi'n a pluralitjL` ofjtube' sections, a ball an -joint connectingeach pair of'sections for socket universal adjustment, and means on. the

,socket section for engaging the ball section to hold Athe two sectionsin angular adjustl ment.

. the ball section for holding the 'sections-1n' Af grese'gun tubecomprising. a plurality of tubev sections. ja ball and' socket jointconnecting eachV pair ofrseetions for.

universal adjustment, the socket 'having a plurality of alternatingprongs and recesses extending around its e ge adapted to engage angularadjustment. A

' the two vtube sections 'rality ov i vco'nneetlng each pair of sectionsand having socket of said.A joint.

gl f l 1,528,967

vhollow stem communicating with the bore -of the socket tubesection, anintegral hollow.

' ballvmemberftting and .operatlng lin the l socket 'member vandhaving ahollow stem rality o tube sections for universa adjustf 4. A easegunvtubecolnprising a plufgf communicating. with the bore df the ball lballV having an opening of suflicient size fto' v form a communicationwith the hollow stem ofthesocket member in any adjust-ment ofv A reasegun tube comprisin a plutube sectionsa ball and soc et'joint a passageextending therethrough to permit the flow Vof greasel under pressurefrom oney '.tubev section to they other, the ball of said socketjointbeing hollow and made of thin metal and adapted to expand under thegrease :pressure to make a tight fit in the MARTIN o.- BERSTED.

